This Thursday, 8th March, is International Women's Day, and to coincide with that Shiny Media will be launching a very special, very fabulous blog for women. In celebration, over the next few days the CQ girls will talking about their favourite women. To start off, I've been given the chance to wax lyrical about one of my idols, Zooey Deschanel.
Zooey first caught my eye stealing scenes as the ridiculously cool older sister in the 2000 movie 'Almost Famous'. Perhaps it was the fact that she wad dresses up like a super-chic 60s air hostess (you could call them that back then) that made me stand up and take notice?
Whatever it was that first attracted me to her, learning more about her I couldn't help but develop a bit of a girl-crush on the quirky starlet. She's from a showbiz family (her dad is a cinematographer, her mom is an actress and sis Emily is 'Bones' in the show of the same name) and she went to Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences with the likes of Kate Hudson, but that Hollywood pedigree - though it might have given her a helping hand - had some serious talent to back it up.
Not only can she act, but Zooey sings like Doris Day (watch 'Elf' for proof) and is a member of a cabaret band called 'If All The Stars Were Pretty Babies' with fellow actress Samantha Shelton. She collects vintage coats and oversized sunglasses, loves Ella Fitzgerald and is rarely seen out of cutesy dresses (from Gucci, Marc Jacobs or vintage stores) and black tights. What's not to love?
What I adore about Zooey is that she has a look all of her own which, though inspired by fashion, is not dictated by it. She was on the red carpet in little dresses and black tights long before everyone else, and no doubt she'll continue to pull off the look long after the rest of us have moved on. She's not afraid to mix up her colours or go for interesting shapes, and she has an amazing knack for making frills, fussy necklines and other childish details look edgy rather than cutesy. She's definitely a retro girl at heart, and says "I love old music, old movies, screwball comedies, vintage clothes and basically I'm an old-fashioned gal."
Zooey has a look all of her own, her outfits really let her personality shine through, and she's not afraid to take risks, even if they don't always work out. That's why she's a style icon, and that's why I love her - because life's too short to be boring!